JAMB English Language 2016 Objective Past Questions
All 100 questions from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) English Language 2016 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Suspicion often stimulates inquisitivenessCorrect
B. Every human conduct often gives rise to curiosity
C. Our environment always inhibits curiosity
D. Curiosity is effective where there is no room for it
Explanation
This question is a suitability question. It is crystal clear from the passage that 'every human conduct often gives rise to curiosity' according to the first line of the passage.
The passage below has gaps. Immediately following each gap, four options are provided. Choose the most appropriate option for gap 11. ...their children's [11]...
professions
A. insignificant
B. prestigious
C. inferior
D. debasedCorrect
Explanation
Remember, as audience is to theatre, congregation is to church, etc likewise spectator is to sports. Without mincing words, spectator is a person who watches a show, game, or other event.
Gap 18: ...many boxers have suffered permanent brain...
A. fatigue
B. clutter
C. rattleCorrect
D. rocket
Explanation
There is a clear dichotomy between damage and damages. Here, damage means: physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.
Mama Silifat always has an affection for Jimi because she always gave him money to buy chewing gum. B. advice against bad students C. he courage to do well in his class D. the largest pieces of puff-puff
A. gave him money to buy chewing gum
B. advice against bad students
C. courage to do well in his class
D. the largest pieces of puff-puffCorrect
Explanation
Mama Silifat always sells puff-puff and akara outside the school premises. She is fond of Jimi whom she addresses by his full name Akinjimi or omo mi (my child).
B. He was a tall, wiry man with good dictionCorrect
C. He was crude, rash and impatient
D. He was a small, wiry man with odd accent
Explanation
Mr Mallum is a Principal at Forcados High school. He never addressed his students by their first name except Jimi, the day Efua made him realize he hadn't cared enough about his students.
Jimi and Efua, there's something fishy going on there.... From the excerpt above, the expression 'something fishy' shows Nene's fear that Efua and Jimi were no longer going out
A. Nenes fear that Efua and Jimi were no longer going out
B. Nenes fear that Jimi was not determined to jilt Efua
C. Nene's annoyance that Efua might snatch Jimi from her
D. Nene's suspicion that Jimi and Efua were having a relationshipCorrect
Explanation
Nene's inkling perspective towards Jimi and Efua's relationship.
Nearest in meaning to 'decrepit' (as used in a phrase about an improved film)
A. improvedCorrect
B. assuaged, perfect, emendated and uplift
C. deteriorated
D. contrary
Explanation
An improved unlike decrepit means assuaged, perfect, emendated and uplift. In contrary, other words for decrepit are weak, feeble, dilapidated, antiquated and deteriorated.
The question falls under number reality agreement. Remember, it is grammatically correct to say: Hundreds of students have been killed. Likewise, it is ungrammatical to say: two hundreds of students have been killed.
This question is from categorisation concord. When a collective name, denoting category (not collective noun) is involved, the verb to be used should be plural. Here, the poor means: the poor people.
After a three-day meeting, two presidents issued a ____ calling for peace.
A. bulletin
B. memorandumCorrect
C. communiqué
D. directive
Explanation
The word memorandum is the most suitable option. It simply means: a usually brief written message or report from one person or department in a company or organization to another. Besides, an informal written record of an agreement that has not yet become official.
Timi has gone to Lagos and he will be back in ____ time.
A. two's week
B. two week's
C. two weeksCorrect
D. two weeks'
Explanation
The question is from genitive case in noun. Grammatically, you are to treat sake and time as people who possess things. Therefore, singular sentence with take apostrophe before 's' while statement will take apostrophe after the 's' except in some situations like: denominalised adjective or in spellings like: Moses, Jesus, etc.
The students have not come back from the school farm, ____?
A. hadn't they
B. have theyCorrect
C. didn't they
D. isn't it
Explanation
It is a question from question tag. Don't forget that, if a statement is positive, the question must be negative. The students have not(negative) will attract have they(positive). The word not made the statement negative. It is also called negators.
Remember, it is ungrammatical to pluralise uncountable nouns. There is nothing like: informations, equipments, luggages, furnitures, etc. More so, any verb that must come before uncountable nouns must be a singular verb.
When a non living thing is talked about in possessive nouns, it is grammatically wise to avoid apostrophe and use of to show the possession. The table's leg(it is wrong). Instead, it is the leg of the table.
From the language of medicine, stethoscope means: a medical instrument for listening to the action of someone's heart or breathing, typically having a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the chest, and two tubes connected to earpieces.
____ lawyers enrolled at the Nigerian Bar last year ____ this year.
A. Many/than
B. Very many/than
C. Same/asCorrect
D. More/than
Explanation
Interestingly, more is a determiner that is most suitable to serve as an antecedent of people. While, than is used in introducing the second element in a comparison or used in expressions introducing an exception or contrast.
Choose the option that has the same vowel sound as the ones represented by the letter(s) underlined: 'Reprieve'
A. rich
B. policeCorrect
C. queer
D. probity
Explanation
It is only police and reprieve that share the same long vowel sound. Hence, inculcate the following words in your vade mecum for your forthcoming examination: machine, prestige, complete, key, quay, tree, sweet, etc.
Choose the option that has the same vowel sound as the ones underlined: 'Door'
A. food
B. coughCorrect
C. sure
D. board
Explanation
It is only door and board that share long vowel sound. Therefore, you are to take cognizance of the following words that share the same sound: awe, ball, talk, fall, lawyer, or, fore, naught, bore, lord, core, north etc.
Choose the option with the same vowel sound as 'Famous'
A. soup
B. cook
C. pilotCorrect
D. colonel
Explanation
Famous and pilot share the same short vowel sound. So, other related words are: nervous, offend, doctor, tutor, creator, nurture, rapture, culture, beautiful, doctor, bottom, havoc, teacher, etc.
Choose the option that has the same consonant sound as the ones represented by the letter(s) underlined: 'Choice'
A. schedule
B. teachCorrect
C. leisure
D. machine
Explanation
It is only choice and teach that share the same consonant sound. For the sake of exams, the following words share the same sound with choice: chair, church, factual, cheer, stanch, rich, etc.
Choose the option with the same consonant sound as 'Yet'
A. bury
B. way
C. vessel
D. EuropeCorrect
Explanation
Phonological, it is only yet and Europe that share the same sound. Other similar words are: year, you, ewe, uniform, unity, eulogy, value, view, duty, etc.
From these questions, choose the most appropriate stress pattern from the options. The stressed syllables are written in capital letter(s): 'Inoffensive'
A. inOffensive
B. inoFFENsive
C. inoffensiVECorrect
D. Inoffensive
Explanation
In poly syllabic words, it is wrong to always stress the prefixes and suffix. Hence, this is applicable in 'inoFFENsive'.
Word ending in 'MENT' always has the way you would have stressed it in its base form. To stress the word disagreement, is to wit first stress 'agree'. Here, the correct answer is 'disaGREEment'.
In each of questions 98-100, the words in capital letters have the emphatic stress. Choose the option to which the given sentence relates: 'The car CRUSHED him'
A. Who did the car crush?
B. Did a car crush him?
C. What crushed him?
D. Did the car injure him?Correct
Explanation
Option D is the only question without the rubric word.